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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
A much-needed slightly pessimistic historian's perspective towards trans/posthumanism. Loved it.
Definitely a must read, just like its predecessor 'Sapiens'.
As good as the first book was, this may outdo it- as frightening as it is logical. Harari explains how we work and what that leads to- he explains how it’s all just algorithms, and we’re creating algorithms that outdo us. There is no reason to think democracy or decentralized communication will work in the future, there’s no reason to think the individual will be valued as highly in the future- there have been massive changes throughout history. From kings and worshipping spirit gods to worshipping workers to now worshipping tech. Just as peasants didn’t matter under kings, so too will be the average worker as automation takes over. We already take tech health advice and let tech dictate much of what we do- dataism just takes that to a new extreme and sees a future in the internet-of-things. There’s so much there that makes a shocking amount of sense, basically, and it’s explained in a pretty straightforward way. It doesn’t feel subjective or unfair, it just reports historic trends and where they lead going into the future. Interesting book examining some scary possibilities, and it definitely makes you think about humans and what the future holds.
Very good follow up. I feel like most of what this book does is explain the categories and models that help thinking about the modern world. He breaks down larger trends throughout the 20th and 21st century and simplifies things quite a bit to make them graspable and describable. Not as mind-glowingly informative, but good, conservative futurism.
The one thing that removes the star is the lack of an in-depth discussion of his conception of algorithms. He does not delineate between explanatory models and descriptive models; that is: we have models that we use to describe the world as it is, to classify things, and just *how* they work doesn’t really matter as long as they *do* work. We also have explanatory models that simplify the world into parameters churned together. We understand how the latter work, because that’s what they’re meant to do. We don’t care about understanding the former. There’s little discussion in the book about the “because” behind why facebook or google may be able to run your life more smoothly. When AlphaGo wins a game, it’s only humans that are capable of describing “why” it won the game. That “why” is a source of humanity, and that discussion and meditation was lacking in the later chapters.
The one thing that removes the star is the lack of an in-depth discussion of his conception of algorithms. He does not delineate between explanatory models and descriptive models; that is: we have models that we use to describe the world as it is, to classify things, and just *how* they work doesn’t really matter as long as they *do* work. We also have explanatory models that simplify the world into parameters churned together. We understand how the latter work, because that’s what they’re meant to do. We don’t care about understanding the former. There’s little discussion in the book about the “because” behind why facebook or google may be able to run your life more smoothly. When AlphaGo wins a game, it’s only humans that are capable of describing “why” it won the game. That “why” is a source of humanity, and that discussion and meditation was lacking in the later chapters.
This is the weakest Harari book I’ve read in that it feels the most uninspired and forced by the publisher, given that the brunt of its first half is just a recap of Sapiens. However, he really sticks the landing as he gets into more of the futurism stuff, and I really love the breadth of examples he gives to illuminate his points. They are relatable and grounded yet highly imaginative and able to help a pleb like me think about data-ism and the death of liberalism and the future of the species yadda yadda yadda. I always find his work both highly engaging and stimulating! Shoutout Tracy Miller for the reccomendation all those years ago!
This book is not what it says it is. While it claims to be about what the future will be like, it is almost entirely philosophy. The author gives his ideas as to why history went the way it did, while pushing his own philosophy very hard. A weak attempt is made at projecting this philosophy into the future.
There were a few good parts, but they can be found in pretty much any other futurist book.
If you agree with the author's philosophy, you'll love this book, but don't sell it as something that it's not.
There were a few good parts, but they can be found in pretty much any other futurist book.
If you agree with the author's philosophy, you'll love this book, but don't sell it as something that it's not.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Täitsa huvitavad, kuigi pikad arutelud. See on pigem minu viga, et börside ja religiooni ajal kippus tähelepanu hajuma, kuna need teemad mind üldse ei huvita.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Staring is good............. blah blah blah .............. The ending is good also, all the big talks on big data.
dark
informative
slow-paced